iOS 10.2.1 Fixes a Number of Bugs, Including the Contact Card Trick That Crashed iPhones

Apple today released iOS 10.2.1 to the public after several weeks of internal and beta testing. Today’s update to iOS devices comes over a month after the release of iOS 10.2. However, it is a minor update, promising no major feature improvements. Apple said that the update includes bug fixes and security improvements.

The security page has now been updated showing a list of vulnerabilities in the WebKit, parsing of contact cards, logic issues, and kernel issues among others. The contact cards issue is likely linked to the bug that promised to crash your friends’ iOS devices. “Processing a maliciously crafted contact card may lead to unexpected application termination,” the bulletin reads. The issue has been addressed through improved input validation.

We have shared the complete bulletin at the end of this post that lists all the security vulnerabilities – many of which lead to arbitrary code execution – that iOS 10.2.1 has fixed. Apple has also fixed a bug that could allow attackers to access the home screen on an activation-locked device.

An important security update, it is available for all iOS 10 users, including:

iPhone 5 and newer

Fourth-generation iPad and newer

iPad Mini 2 and newer

iPad Pros

Sixth-generation iPod Touch

iOS 10.2.1 is an over-the-air update available to all iOS 10 users. Users are recommended to install and download the update to get all the security patches released today. However, it may not be immediately available to all devices.